The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 4 plus 2 plus 3 plus 4 letter word LOVE ON THE DOLE
I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
L
O
V
E
O
N
T
H
E
D
O
L
E
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Film based on 1930s novel" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case film based on 1930s novel = love on the dole.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.